If William weren’t afraid of scaring Layla, he would’ve tied her up and taken her to the hospital for chemo himself. He wasn’t great with words, but he had the people and the power to make it happen. The only reason he hadn’t was because he couldn’t bring himself to force her. “Whether you like it or not, you’re getting the treatment.” His tone left no room for argument, edged with a kind of forced arrogance—like he had to act tough just to make sure she listened. Layla didn’t fully understand why he cared so much, but as she looked at the people surrounding her bed, something inside her softened. The people she had loved—her own family—had all been waiting for her to die. Yet it was outsiders who were fighting to keep her alive. She had spent so long clawing her way up, thinking the people above would pull her to safety—only for them to stomp on her hands instead. And as she fell, she finally realized there were hands beneath her, holding her up. She had wanted
“Almost doesn’t count.”Layla’s tone remained indifferent as she turned to Levi. “Dr. Young, I’m heading out.” “Alright.” Levi nodded and was about to walk her to the door when Susan suddenly stepped in their way. “Dr. Young, don’t even think about running off! I tracked you down all the way here. I’m getting my appointment today, no matter what.” Then she turned to Layla with a smug smile, her voice dripping with mockery. “I know you’re doing this on purpose. You’re bitter that things didn’t work out with my son, aren’t you?” She let out a self-satisfied laugh before adding in a sickly sweet tone, “But you really shouldn’t be so upset. You should be happy for him instead! Isn’t there a saying? True love means letting go. Surely you want Sean to have a better life, don’t you?” After hearing that, Levi finally put the pieces together. Layla’s engagement had fallen apart, and she had caused an uproar at Sean’s company. The whole ordeal had made waves, and Levi ha
The words Layla had just spoken weren’t just blunt truths. She had driven a wedge between Susan and Xena, planting a thorn right where it would hurt. *As Layla stepped out of the hospital, she spotted Carter in the distance, standing in the sunlight with an oversized bouquet in his arms. His grin was even brighter than the red roses he held. The flowers were bold and vibrant, but his smile was even more dazzling. Layla walked toward him, shaking her head with a helpless smile. “Is all this really necessary?” “Of course! From now on, every time you finish a round of chemo and get discharged, I’m bringing you flowers. And on the day you fully recover, I’ll bring a whole truckload!” Carter stuffed the bouquet into her arms. “Sis, you’re prettier than any flower.” Layla didn’t respond, just smiled softly. She knew he was mostly just trying to make her feel better. After all, she was well aware of how she looked. The chemo had drained so much from her, leaving her
After safely dropping Layla off at Luxe Villa, Carter sent a message to William to update him. On the other end, William glanced at his phone, his expression calm and unreadable. “Sean’s company hasn’t issued new shares like we expected.” The assistant placed the investigation report in front of William. “Xena made a personal investment to temporarily stabilize Sean’s company.“The amount was significant—too large for her to have pulled together on her own. So, I looked into her financial records and found that a foreign account transferred the funds to her not long ago.”The assistant gave a slight nod. “However, the account has a high level of security, and I wasn’t able to uncover any further details.”“Interesting. Looks like Xena isn’t as simple as she seems.” William rested his hand on the report, tapping his fingers idly against the pages. Their original plan had counted on Sean buckling under the pressure, forcing him to issue new shares to raise capital. That
Mr. Xander let out a long sigh. “Let’s just consider it our family’s way of compensating him.” Seeing that he had relented, Xena beamed with excitement and threw her arms around him, playfully acting spoiled. “I knew you were the most understanding dad ever!” *A week later, the news reached Layla. The call came from Sean’s assistant. Layla had personally recruited him into the company, and he knew better than anyone that the company’s success over the years was largely due to her. He had hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to report the situation to her. “Layla… do you regret it?” Back then, she had been so firm about splitting the shares. Now, that decision had given Xena the perfect opportunity to swoop in and become the company’s largest shareholder. Unlike Layla, who had worked in the background, Xena could now openly stand by Sean’s side, managing the company with him. The assistant couldn’t help but feel frustrated on Layla’s behalf, whi
When they arrived at the dessert shop, Carter eagerly followed a viral food review to make sure they ordered the best items. He then grinned proudly at Layla. “Sis, I guarantee you’ll love this!” Layla chuckled. “Then I’ll thank you in advance.” Living at Luxe Villa was peaceful, almost too peaceful. No one could bother her, but sometimes, it felt a little too quiet. William was always out early and back late, and since Layla had been resting to recover, sleeping early and waking up late, they barely crossed paths. Luckily, Carter visited whenever he had free time, keeping her from feeling completely suffocated in the massive mansion. Tonight’s meal was on her—no question about it. With that in mind, she took the opportunity to slip away to the register while Carter was in the restroom, intending to pay the bill. As she turned around, she bumped into someone. Just as she was about to apologize, a familiar cologne filled her senses. Layla’s expression froze.
Overwhelmed by emotion, Sean finally lost control. He strode over to Layla’s table, slammed his hands down, and leaned in close, eyes locked onto hers. “Having fun?” Layla didn’t even flinch. “Watching my ex go on a blind date? Pretty entertaining, actually.” "Ex." That single word hit Sean like a punch to the gut. His jaw clenched as he grabbed her wrist, his grip tightening. “How far are you going to take this? Do you even realize you almost destroyed the company?” Layla blinked. “Excuse me?” Wasn’t he the one who had nearly tanked his own company? Cutting corners, forcing violent evictions—those were all his brilliant decisions. None of it had anything to do with her. Her expression turned cold as she looked him dead in the eye. “Sean, do you ever get tired of barking at people like a rabid dog?” “Haha.” Sean let out a sharp laugh, his eyes filled with anger. “Still playing innocent? If it weren’t for you running to William, how else would he have known
Layla barely had an appetite, despite the dessert shop’s well-earned reputation. Noticing her mood, Carter didn’t push her to stay any longer and drove her back to Luxe Villa early. As she stepped out of the car, he hesitated before asking, “Sis, are you upset with Uncle William because of what Sean said?” “No.” Layla shook her head. “Just drive safe on your way back.” With that, she turned and walked toward the villa without looking back. Carter could only sigh and lower his head to send William a quick message, giving him a brief rundown of what had happened at the dessert shop. The message was delivered, but William only glanced at it before the sound of the front door opening pulled his attention away. At the entrance, Layla changed into her slippers and glanced at the shoe cabinet. A pair of men’s dress shoes sat neatly in place. He’s back early today. She entered the living room and met William’s gaze. Neither of them spoke. The air between them w
“Don’t tell her I’m awake. And don’t let her come to the hospital,” William said quietly.Ivan frowned. “Why not? She’s been running herself ragged for you. She even made me promise to notify her the moment you woke up…”“Not until I know whether this accident had anything to do with me,” William cut in, his voice calm and unreadable.What Ivan didn’t know was that William had been awake for a while—long enough to overhear the full story Ivan shared about the car crash.Layla had just returned to the country. She couldn’t possibly have made any enemies dangerous enough to try and kill her.And yet the timing of the crash was too perfect. It happened the same night the two families were supposed to meet.Whoever orchestrated it clearly wanted to use Layla to throw him off and keep him from showing up.William’s eyes darkened. “I’ll have someone keep an eye on her—discreetly.”Ivan hesitated. “But… won’t she be really hurt by this?”“Will she?” William closed his eyes slow
“That accident felt way too convenient,” Wilson said, narrowing his eyes at Ivan. “What really happened?”Given how worked up Wilson had been earlier, Ivan knew he couldn’t keep him in the dark any longer. He gave him a look and motioned toward the window, away from the bedroom door.Keeping his voice low, Ivan spoke cautiously, always watching the door out of the corner of his eye.When he finished explaining everything, Wilson was visibly stunned. “Someone was trying to hurt Miss Xander?”“Yeah. The driver’s still in the ICU. No idea when he’ll wake up.”Ivan’s brows drew together, his expression tight. “I read the report from the scene. For the impact to be that severe, the other car had to be going fast and with all that traffic on the overpass…“If William hadn’t swerved to block it, it could’ve caused a multi-car pile-up. And if Layla had been the one brought to the hospital instead, her injuries might’ve been a lot worse.”“Wait… are you saying—” Wilson’s face went
At the Harris estate, the moment Gwen heard that William had been in a car accident, she shot to her feet.“I have to go see him!”Mrs. Harris Sr. grabbed her hand, frowning. “What’s the rush? Didn’t the Lucases say he’s not seriously hurt?”Gwen pressed her lips together. “But Grandma, the only reason William didn’t show up last night was because of the accident. Are you still angry with him?”“And that accident happened a little too conveniently, don’t you think?” Mrs. Harris Sr. snapped.“Grandma! You can’t just assume things like that. Do you really think William would risk his life just to get out of an engagement?”Seeing Gwen’s tone shift, Mrs. Harris Sr. frowned. “Look at you—raising your voice to me over this boy.”“I just think it’s unfair,” Gwen said quietly.“You’re letting your feelings cloud your judgment.”Mrs. Harris Sr. gave her a pointed look. “I asked their man for details about the accident and he couldn’t give me a straight answer. He didn’t ev
Scarlett shot to her feet and stormed toward the door, ready to confront Layla—only to be stopped by Ivan, who rushed in just in time.“Aunt Scarlett, where are you going? William hasn’t even woken up yet. You should be with him.”“Move!” she shouted, shoving at him with all her strength. But Ivan held firm, refusing to budge.“Please, calm down,” he said urgently. “William’s condition isn’t critical. Once he wakes up, we can get the full story. But right now, we can’t blame Miss Xander.”Scarlett was furious. “You’re still defending her? Are you trying to get William killed too?”“No!” Ivan was growing desperate. “I’m just stating the facts. This crash was anything but normal. Miss Xander had no idea it was coming. She’s the one who brought William to the hospital. She stayed up all night with him!“She was the one who asked me to suppress the news. Because of that, we avoided a PR nightmare. She’s done everything she could to help. She doesn’t deserve to be treated like this
By the time Mr. and Mrs. Lucas Sr. arrived at the hospital, Levi had already been alerted and rushed to the inpatient wing to meet them.As soon as he stepped off the elevator, a sharp slap rang out down the hallway.It was immediately followed by Scarlett’s shrill, out-of-control voice.“It’s you, isn’t it? You brought this on him! You’re a curse—anyone who gets close to you ends up ruined! Can’t you just stay away from William?“Layla Xander, how far are you planning to drag him down before you’re satisfied? He’s my only son! If anything happens to him, I swear I’ll take you with me!”By the time she reached the end, Scarlett had broken down completely, sobbing hysterically as she shoved Layla aside and stormed into the hospital room.Mr. Lucas Sr. followed behind her without sparing Layla a single glance.Layla stood frozen in place, a bright red slap mark across her cheek but her face remained eerily calm, like the sting hadn’t even registered.The whole thing happened so f
“I heard from Wilson,” Ivan said. “Mrs. Harris Sr. and Mr. Lucas Sr. both blew up when William didn’t show last night. Word is, Mr. Lucas Sr. has people out searching the whole city for him.“If they find out he got into an accident while…” He trailed off mid-sentence, but Layla didn’t need him to finish. She was smart and she already knew what he meant.“This has to do with me. I can’t avoid that,” she said quietly. “If the Lucas or Harris families want to come after me, let them.”Her eyes never left William.Right now, the only thing she cared about was seeing him open his eyes—and asking him why he would risk his life just to block that car.*But the truth couldn’t stay hidden for long.The news of William’s accident inevitably broke.At the Lucas family estate, Mr. Lucas Sr. shot to his feet. “What? You’re telling me William got into a car accident last night?”“Yes, sir,” the assistant said, head lowered. “Mr. Ivan Dixon had the story locked down. We only manag
That night, news of William’s car accident on the overpass was kept tightly under wraps.When Ivan arrived at the hospital, William had just been wheeled out of surgery. Panicked, he grabbed Levi and immediately started firing off questions.“How is he? Did he lose an arm or a leg? Will he wake up? Is he—”“Calm down,” Levi said patiently.“The impact hit the passenger side. William is mostly okay—just a mild concussion and a fractured right hand. He just got out of surgery.”Ivan finally exhaled. “Thank God… When Miss Xander called and asked me to lock down the news online, I was scared out of my mind.”“Wait—” Levi blinked. “Miss Xander called you?”“Yeah!” Ivan looked curious. “It all happened so fast, I didn’t even get the full story. Was she with him when the accident happened?“I mean, I heard from Wilson Harris that William skipped the dinner with the Harris family but I didn’t think he’d gone to find Miss Xander.”Ivan glanced around. “Where is she, anyway?”“She went
At this point, Mrs. Harris Sr. was done playing nice.She turned to Mr. Lucas Sr. and said bluntly, “We’re all here now. Just tell me straight—did William actually agree to this engagement or not?”“He did, he did—” Scarlett cut in quickly, trying to smooth things over.But Mrs. Harris Sr. slammed her palm on the table, making everyone jump. “If he agreed, then where is he?”Mr. Lucas Sr. finally spoke, his voice slow and steady. “This isn’t up to him. Whether he agrees or not doesn’t matter. He’s not here? Fine. We can still move forward with the engagement.”“What kind of logic is that?” Mrs. Harris Sr. snapped. “If he couldn’t even bother to show up, that tells me exactly how little he cares about my granddaughter. And you expect me to hand her over just like that?”She glared across the table. “Let me be very clear. Before I agree to anything, William has to look me in the eye and swear that he’ll treat Gwen right for the rest of his life. No sincerity, no marriage.
Hannah stood frozen in shock, watching as Layla smashed through the car window and reached inside to unlock the door.“William, can you hear me? William, wake up…”Layla’s voice trembled with panic. She had managed to get the door open, but she didn’t dare move him. Her first instinct was to check his breathing. As her fingertips brushed under his nose, she felt the steady warmth of his breath.Only then did the tight knot in her chest loosen slightly. Her mind slowly began to clear.She knew the risks. With an accident like this, unconsciousness could mean internal injuries and without trained medics on-site, moving him could do more harm than good.So all she could do was keep calling his name.“William… please, wake up. Don’t scare me like this…”Her voice cracked, and a wave of helplessness crashed over her. She was choking back tears now, unable to stop her hands from shaking as she pounded weakly on the seat.Hannah finally stepped closer and gasped.Layla’s hands were c